Part Eleven

"Can you go back to just before he landed?" Melody asked the projectionist, before turning around to again face the screen.

"You can't see anything," said Horvat, irritated. "It's all backlit by the fires started in the first part of the attack. Our best film processors and analysts have already been over and over it, trying to extract more information. There just isn't any."

"You wanted me here for my insight. Well, I have one. Just go back to that, please."

Part Nine

Malak needed little exploring to find the control room for the operation. It was the second largest chamber in the building, after the internal garage. While most of the building was nearly empty, this place was full of people busy doing things which at first glance would not have been out of place in any modern office. At the far end from the double doors of the main entrance was a large desk, on a low dais. There sat someone Malak was surprised to see. Though he was not nearly as surprised as the occupants of the room were when he became visible.

Part Seven

The next morning everyone at the repository was still buzzed about the rescue. Including the federal employees working to destroy the chemicals, even though they hadn't been involved. Melody managed to get several interviews with various participants in the operation, as well as updates on how the refugees were faring. Then she just hung around the computer room, where the performance of the new device in planning the operation was being evaluated.

Part Five

They were walking in roughly a half acre of grass and young trees. There were picnic tables, permanently emplaced grills and even a small gazebo. This was on land which was part of the property belonging to the chemical storage and disposal project, but outside the walls of the compound. It also all looked very new. There were a few other people in the area, and almost uniformly they were smiling.

Part Three

As he rose invisible into the sky, Aaron was tempted to fly the slow way back to Haven. The weather was that nice. With a resigned sigh, he flew high enough to be above airliner traffic and applied his quick travel power to head west.

* * *

Melody was sitting, staring unseeing at the far wall of her office, when her boss stopped by later that afternoon.

"You look busy."

"I am, actually," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Deep in thought."

The Magic Revealed: A Gifted Saga Story

by

Rodford Edmiston

An excerpt from a novel in progress. I would love comments, especially on the medical matters discussed herein.

Part Eleven

Blue Impact ran into the equipment chamber just as Energia finished cooling the thermite charges below the combustion point. There was some damage, but she thought that most of the equipment would be fit for study. The place was half full of smoke and completely full of odd odors, but an air current from somewhere was already moving all that out.

"Hopefully there's enough left to tell us how to reverse the effects on Stone's test subjects," said Energia.

"Did you see Stone?"

"The only person here ran down that way!"

Part Nine

Vic woke slowly, which was odd. With her level of regeneration, even a powerful narcotic should have worn off quickly once her body began eliminating it. To her alarm, she discovered that she had been stripped and dressed in a paper examination gown. Even her ear bud was gone. She wasn't certain, but from the condition of her hair suspected she'd actually been washed.

"Someone was being thorough," she muttered, her voice hoarse.

Part Seven

"While you were gone we gathered a lot more data on the New Breed," said Blue Impact, once Energia had returned to the old bakery and briefed the others. The team leader was looking very serious. "Turns out they are responsible for at least twenty deaths. The various law enforcement agencies are accused of not hunting them as diligently as they should. That they are holding back because the New Breed has gotten rid of so many costumed villains. However, that lack of attention is now changing.

Part Four

Part Two

"Good afternoon," said Energia, to the group gathered in the meeting room. "I'm here to give you some practical information on super costumes."

This time she was more at ease. Perhaps because the subject was more focused, as well as more familiar. Energia noted that two of The FX team members were in attendance.

Masks XXI: The Musty Museum Murder Mystery

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part One

Energia was flying. There was no set pattern to her movements, and the only limitations were her physical ability to take the gee loads and wind speed, plus the occasional beep her earbud gave to notify Energia that she was nearing a boundary of the safe volume. Propelled and supported by graviton manipulation, she could pull turns which would have shredded an aerobatic plane. She performed a freeform dance in three dimensions, barely constrained by gravity or even inertia.

Part Nine

"Gadgetive, I need to tell me everything you know about those drones," said Blue Impact, once they were underway.

"Why?" said the gadgeteer, puzzled. "They won't use them again; just like they had them here instead of another powerful super standing guard. Masterminds like to change things up. Well, some things..."

"Because this setup was different in other ways, too. Someone had a whole bunch of several series of devices made by the same company through a long span, instead of a few gadgets gathered from different sources."

Part Seven

The trio in Tricorne's large apergy flyer looked down upon the dirty, deeply shadowed streets and alleys with sensors and eyes. Meanwhile, Energia flew nearby, using her own senses away from the insulation of the van-sized pod. Several sources had pegged this city as one location where The Black Badge was currently carrying out his operation. Some claimed he was focusing on this specific neighborhood.

Part Five

"Guess what?" said Blue Impact, a couple of hours later, back at the lair. "Turns out the person who owns the house is the same Emil Logsdon who had to let the police in, years ago. He is part owner of the real estate company which bought the house, which is why there's no record of further transfers. He just had the company say it was waiting for a buyer to develop the property, in order to head off complaints about the house not fitting with the rest of the neighborhood. I guess he took it over as a private project. Or maybe as a memorial to his friend."

Part Three

Masks XX: The Mystery of the Mechanical Master

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part One

The video conference call was unusual in more aspects than the fact that all three participants were wearing costumes with masks. The members of Tricorne were planning yet another Spring Break together. However, this time the youngest member was proposing something different from previous teamups.

I'm about a quarter of the way finished with the next Masks story. Meanwhile, here's something I wrote a few years ago.

X-World: Fitting In

Part One: Acts of Terror

by

Rodford Edmiston

This story is set in the world of the first two X-Men movies, not long after the second one ends. The world and some of the characters belong to Marvel; the story and the rest of the characters are mine.

I'm sorry this is a bit late. I kept feeling dissatisfied and re-writing. It felt too passive. Finally, as I lay in bed waiting for sleep, I realized a solution. I started on it first thing this morning. This is the result.

The Angel of Chicago

Part Seventeen: Probative Action

by

Rodford Edmiston